riverviewlogs | introductory mingle: carnivale

Entry tags:

introductory mingle: carnivale

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Carnivale Celebration
when: July 1st - July 9th
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

carnivale

In the days leading up to July 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Carnivale. This holiday is in celebration of music, and the onset of summer and warmer weather. The celebrations are marked by street parties, an extensive program of live musical performances, with a large parade (and paid holiday!) capping it off on July 8th.

celebrating music, and summer

After a couple of months of low-key or even solemn celebrations, it's time for Riverview Quarantine to throw a good, old-fashioned party. Carnivale is a city-wide festival that pretty much everyone gets into, and many residents take the entire week off so they can enjoy all the festivities. With events ranging from impromptu street parties, free live musical performances, food stands, themed club nights, adult lounges with kink shows, and topped off with a massive party parade, the holiday has a lot to offer for anyone who likes to sing, dance, and show some skin!

i. street parties and food

One of the staples of the Carnivale festival is the spontaneous street parties and food trucks and carts. It's not unusual during the holiday to turn a corner and run into a group of people dressed in bright colors and sequins having an impromptu party with a few drinks, and then be invited to join right in! Carnivale is a celebration of music as well as summer, so most shops and stalls will be blasting danceable music into the streets to facilitate these little street parties - it's considered a sign of good luck for the owner of a business if an impromptu Carnivale celebration starts up in front of their door.

Considering the proliferation of street parties and people out and about to celebrate the warmer weather, local business owners also take to the streets. Food carts, stands, and trucks pop up on almost every street corner offering a wide variety of food from savory treats to sweet desserts. Many of the carts are offering one free item to anyone dressed up for Carnivale - anything shimmery, shiny, or brightly colored will do!

ii. live musical performances

One of the major roads in the city center has been completely roped off for the entire week, and all along this street, various temporary stages have been set up, each with a nice hefty sound system. Volunteers hand out printed flyers, and digital boards are set up here and there with schedules of various performances that are all free to attend, ranging from well-known popular music artists to new up-and-comers or independent artists who are looking to make a name for themselves. This event is very widely advertised around the city, and is accepting entries until the very last minute.

At couple of the acts might be familiar faces to some of the residents.

Eichi Tenshouin has signed up himself and his friend Tsumugi Aoba into the music festival as a first-time appearing idol unit called "Higanbana." Dressed in all white with splashes of color (blue, largely, with only their headsets being a red spider lily), they carry a very commanding and angelic image together. They'll have a routine that emphasizes their great harmony with each other, taking turns doing solo lines and joining together to show off each of their talents. Singing and dancing, they interact heavily with the audience and will encourage a lot of involvement with speaking between songs and gestures, winks, and so on. Basically, they intend to make this Riverview's very first prominent "idol performance".

For his performance, Otabek Altin will start with rock remixes of a few popular pop songs. He wants to make sure that it starts off with recognizable pieces for some people, and he certainly thinks it is something that could get people excited even if they don't know it. Then, it shifts into a few original songs. They are upbeat, rock songs that he put together with the intention to make people dance and move, since he is a DJ. He'll end his set with a slower piece he put together that is also an original. Through the entire performance, he's focused and quiet, though he may occasionally try and excite the crowd with a few words.

Any other player-characters who are musically inclined are more than welcome to assume their character was fit in for a performance, and can post up a top-level with a rundown of their performance to get bonus Activity Points for posting a mingle!

iii. carnivale parade

The other main attraction of Carnivale week comes on July 8th, which is a paid holiday for everyone in the city. The Carnivale Parade will be starting out by City Hall and winding through downtown in a lazy pattern so everyone in the city has a chance to see it. There will be all sorts of floats, dancers, marching bands, with all sorts of clubs, businesses, and other organizations represented. The theme is theatrical, big and showy, bright and colorful, sparkly and shiny, with loud music and lots of glitz and glamour. Observers can expect great music, excellent dancing and marching shows, neat vehicles provided by classic car clubs, the fire, police, and Perimeter Guard. They can also expect a lot of party favors, whether it's a sparkly plastic beaded necklace, a fan to take the edge off the heat, candy, popsicles, a temporary tattoo, or any number of other little treats or toys to be tossed into the crowd - some of them fit for kids and teens, others of a more 'adult' nature handed out a bit more discreetly to anyone who looks the part.

And make sure you wear your waterproof mascara - Carnivale floats have a tendency of spraying or spritzing water, both in an unspoken competition to see who can make the biggest water-refraction rainbow in the air, and to keep observers cool in the new summer heat.

iv. adult: lounges and kink exhibition

Thanks to the Carnivale tradition of showing as much skin as possible, some event organizers' minds have turned to topics of a more adult nature. In the evenings, residents may see clubs doing "lounge nights"; these adults-only events have bouncers IDing everyone at the door to ensure they're 18+. The themes may vary, from very specific niche themes like 'golden age superheroes' to broad themes like 'rainbows,' and each event is clearly marked as what it is - all-nude or clothing-optional, and can host events ranging from amateur to professional exotic dancing, food served off of nude bodies, anonymous masked hookups, or just provide a comfortable space where casual sex is encouraged with whoever happens to be around. Various legal substances can be found at these lounges, but nothing that would cause violation of consent, and every substance would be clearly labeled and have warnings to ensure that no one partakes unless they choose to. Please be sure to warn in the subject line for sexual content or drug use (since some mild party drugs are legal in Riverview).

For the weekend from July 7th-9th, there will be a kink exhibition in one of the large exhibition centers downtown, limited to characters 18+. The exhibition is a sexy adult informational convention featuring various kinks and fetishes. Whether you're into leather, latex, lace, or anything else, you'll be able to find the clothes, toys, guides, books, erotica, fiction, and a wide variety of other interesting stuff to explore. While the atmosphere is sex-positive and there are private and public (for the voyeurs and exhibitionists in the room) venues for having sex, it's definitely focused on exploration and information about different stuff to try.

v. roommates or wildcard

Feel free to use this prompt to meet new roommates, for the purpose of getting to know each other, or hit up one of the mod-posted prompts for each Communal Floor. Or if you have an idea for a prompt that isn't in this list, set during Carnivale, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: Roger Patterson Jr.; image ii: Syd Mead; image iii: screencap from the movie Paprika; image iv: siamon89

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He... he had sixty years worth of spoilers, Cain.

(Lucretia pinches the bridge of her nose, shoulders hunching.)

He told me about... uh, about myself, in the future. What I did. What I will do.

A lot happens in sixty years.

[ Which is the problem, as he's understanding it. ]

What will you do, Lucretia?

I betray them.

(She seems very calm, straight backed as she stares at the path ahead of them. The only thing betraying her emotions is the way she's gripping her hands together, squeezing tightly.)

Taako, Lup. All of them.

[ Lup, he's going to assume, is one of the other crew. Right now, however, he isn't talking to Taako or Lup or caring about them. Right now he just reaches out and gently takes her wrist, slides his fingers down to try and put his hand into hers with very little force behind it. ]

Doing what?

(She relents her strangehold on her fingers as his touch her wrist, lets him take her hand without looking down.)

Um, (she says, and swallows. Why is it so hard for her to say this?)

I... I erased their memories. Of the ship, and the mission, and of me.

[ Good. He'll give her a light squeeze, let her grip as much as she needs if she's up for it. His voice is even, nonjudgmental. Gentle. ]

Can you imagine why that would be?

No. (It's clear that this is what's at the crux of her anxiety; she grips his hand tightly.)

Taako said that it was because I 'didn't like the way we were doing things', that our plan to harness the light went wrong and I wanted to fix everything but... it seems so extreme, I– (She shuts her eyes tightly, stopping abruptly in place.)

I don't understand.

Lucretia. I don't think Taako's lying, but try to remember: he doesn't have your side of the story. Even what he thinks has happened might not be right.

[ Which is closer to home than he'd like. There's something niggling in the back of his mind and a different piece much closer to the forefront. Neither of them are very pleasant, but in a way, he's in the spot Lucretia will some day find herself in. Knowing things, unable to say, perhaps not even knowing why. It's maddening.

He walks another step, two, stands in front of her and raises their interwoven hands between them. ]

You know you wouldn't do anything to hurt them. Right? You know that.

I know. (She nods, eyes still closed tight. Unfortunately this doesn't do anything to stop her eyes from prickling with tears; she exhales sharply, and wipes them away with her free hand.)

I know. I– I wouldn't ever, Cain. But Lup, I... I erased her from Taako's memory entirely. His sister. Why did I do that??

[ His hand starts to grip hers, sight unseen, and for a moment thinks about forgetting Abel. Then, instead, he remembers Abel forgot him. It hits unexpectedly hard and part of him is furious, separating siblings like that for any reason. Even death is not a large enough gap for him to forgive the actions of the Reapers. Especially since as far as he knows, there was no point except to taunt him. To wave this failure in front of his face and turn the most important person in the world into nothing but a pawn for... for what?

Cain doesn't know if he'll ever know that, or if he'll meet Remus again, or have his brother back in any form. Truly. Abel is his brother but Abel doesn't know what that means and it isn't the same. His brother's been taken away.

His hand is still gripping tight and from one breath to the next, he forces himself to relax. Take it down a notch. Just let the whirlwind whip up those emotions and toss them aside. This anger and bottomless pit of guilt, despair... that's not going to leave him for a very long time, he's certain. Nothing will be forever, he hopes, and yet right now—right now, Lucretia is here.

The Reapers aim to slice and cut and hurt. They're scared of something. Lucretia is the opposite, loves her friends so much that something drove her to... to the unthinkable. Something beyond his emotional scope.

It's complicated. ]

That's... part of my own complicated too, actually. [ Hopefully that explains the pause, the grip, the tension that's taken over. ] If you wouldn't hurt them, it would have to be something worse.

(In the silence that follows Cain grips her hand very tightly, and Lucretia, mistaking it for some form of sympathy, lets him. She's still thumbing her tears away, giving her head a little shake to get herself to stop.

His grip on her hand is getting a bit painful, actually.)

Cain– (She winces and glances up at him; he's staring at her with this look on his face that makes her breath catch in the back of her throat. Like– like he's furious. And then he exhales and the look is gone, and Lucretia is left wondering if she imagined it in the first place.

She pulls her hand out of his.)

I... (She isn't sure what to say in response to that. Has she just reminded him of something very painful? Maybe she should never have said anything.)

Well, I suppose I'll find out, won't I.

[ Cain lets his hand drop, closes his eyes briefly, then reaches out to take her hand again and shake his head. This is not the same. Lucretia is not heartless, nor does he believe she would do anything like that without ample reason.

(A sister, a brother, it doesn't matter, it's like destroying a heart from the inside and his own aches just thinking about it.)

He's no good if he drops someone just like that, someone he cares about because of his own feelings, something he doesn't actually understand. There's lines to cross and this is one of them, but the world isn't just one world anymore and his resolve has holes. It always has.

Gently, he curls his hand around hers and he can't quite muster a smile in this painful moment, but his look is genuine. ]

This is important, right? For all of you.

(Oh, she has said something wrong, hasn't she.

There is a lot going on behind his carefully neutral expression, but Lucretia doesn't dare to ask about it. She hadn't ever meant to hurt him, would never mean to; it's hard to watch him scrape something considerate together when he finally looks at her. She gives his hand a tentative squeeze.)

Yes. Taako and I have talked it over since then and we're... we're back on friendly terms, but I can't stop thinking about it.

(And there's so much she hasn't gone into: the fact that Lup is dead, now, never coming back, a dark and horrible thing that lurks in every corner of her mind. She's been sleeping badly. But then, maybe this is fair, an equivalent exchange for all the stress she's caused.)

Don't borrow trouble.

[ Cain's back on point, getting his barriers and strength back up by the minute. His own problems are his own and if he doesn't intend to do anything about this, then he won't have Lucretia worrying about it, either. He's the oldest one here, knows better, deals with heavy responsibility all the time. This isn't any different.

He slipped, but he'll keep it together now. ]

I know it's hard, but... it's possible. I'm going to live for a... very, very long time. You just have to learn to think about what's happening. Not what you may or may not do.

(She looks at him then, her expression exhausted.)

You make it sound so easy.

(If her tone seems sharp, it's only because she's stressed and thoroughly over it. Obviously there isn't going to be a quick fix for the way that she feels about this, and she knows that. Doesn't stop it from being frustrating, though.

Despite this, talking to somebody about it genuinely has lifted a little bit of the weight off of her shoulders.)

[ That gets a laugh and he ducks his head briefly. ]

It really isn't, but I think it's worth working for. Missing out on time you could have had because you're worried about time that hasn't come... It's not a good feeling.

... Yeah.

(She sighs, and takes her hand back from him again so she can take her glasses off and knuckle each of her eyes in turn.)

Thank you, for listening to all of that. It's... a lot, but I really appreciate it.

[ Now he lets his hand fall, nods silently. He's watching her even if part of his gaze is elsewhere. He'll deal with all that later. ]

We're friends, right? It's a lot but... you probably shouldn't deal with it alone.

Yes, of course we are.

(It's really nice to hear him say it though. She manages a quick hint of a smile as she puts her glasses back on.)

I... yes. I've been writing about it, but that only helps for so long, you know?

[ There's a lot wrong with this scenario and Cain's going to have to work to fix what his undisciplined reaction just cracked. It isn't broken, but still... shouldn't have let it get so far. Apparently there's still things he can get blindsided by even when he tries to be aware anything could happen. ]

Exactly. Hearing someone talk back helps.

(Yes, and she can tell; she's still holding back quite a bit. What she's told Cain has barely scraped the surface of what she's worried about, but she isn't about to divulge any further after seeing him react like that.

She nods.)

Absolutely. Hey– I've borrowed enough of your time already. I'm... honestly, I'm just on my way home, so. You should go back to the parade.

[ That's what he hopes to fix. Cain is more used to being the one confided in than the one confiding and that he's damaged it already is... irksome. The last thing he wants is to be unreliable and let himself get in the way of being useful to people he actually cares for in whatever capacities. Helping Lucretia now is going to be a priority, no matter if some of it is rooted in his own pride. ]

Are you sure? I don't mind walking you there.

Edited 2017-07-13 13:27 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm sure.

(She touches his arm very gently to reassure him. She's not mad or anything; she knows it isn't his fault.)

Go on. I'll be fine, I'm going to have a pretty quiet evening.

[ She might not be mad, but Cain is at himself. Still, he's not going to push his own issues on her more so he just moves to let his hand cover hers briefly. ]

All right. I'll talk to you later, Lucretia.

Okay. Have a good rest of your day.

(Even when she's upset, at least Lucretia can default easily to 'polite and nice'. She pats his hand, and gives him a little wave as she departs.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

introductory mingle: carnivale

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